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A protection program for water and sewer lines in New York City will keep homeowners from enduring the high cost of fixing breaks. Homeowners pay a monthly rate of $3.99 for water-line protection and $7.99 for the sewer line, instead of paying as much as $5,000 to fix a water-line break or as much as $15,000 for a sewer-line break.

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Philadelphia officials are helping pay for the cost of damage from the rupture of a 120-year-old water main. "If you don't have any insurance, then the city would be liable for the value of the loss. If you do have insurance, that would come first," said city risk manager Barry Scott. The city is working to upgrade its underground infrastructure as it has paid $2.1 million since 2010 in settlements related to water-main breaks.

Harrisburg, Pa., will use geographic information system technology to mark and map the sewer- and water-line system for repairs. The move is part of a multibillion-dollar update of the century-old system.

It will cost about $6 billion to repair and upgrade Minnesota's aging drinking water systems, according to a 2007 study, and around $4.5 billion more to fix its sewer systems. A water-main break released 3 million gallons of water last week in Duluth, Minn., where half of the city's 426 miles of underground pipes are more than 80 years old. "It all comes down to funding and how much people are willing to pay for the water that they receive," said Steve Schneider, St. Paul's Regional Water Services general manager.

Polar Beverages provided millions of gallons of bottled water to Massachusetts residents whose supply was disrupted by a water-main break. The company, based in Worcester, Mass., has a contract with the state to provide drinking water during emergencies.

A typical homeowners policy doesn't cover losses caused by floods, earthquakes, termites, mold and water- or sewer-line breaks, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. A survey recently taken by the group suggests that some policyholders mistakenly believe they are covered against these risks.